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The team only received their Ireland visas a few hours before departure on Saturday morning. -Photo by AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan women cricket team left for Ireland in the wee hours of Saturday for a 12-day tour where the girls in Green will be taking part in a tri-nation series featuring Bangladesh and the hosts.

According to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Women’s Wing Chairperson Bushra Aitzaz, the 14-member team captained by Sana Mir is in complete form and is ready for the ICC Women’s World T20 Tournament starting few weeks after the tri-nation series. The current event, however, includes three One-Day Internationals and as many Twenty20 matches.

Speaking to Dawn on Saturday, Bushra said the lengthy camp set up prior to the assignment will bear fruit. “This is the first time ever that we held such a long, 25-day camp for the team probables. And the cricket event before that also proved very beneficial for the girls,” she
said.

“In our earlier regional tournaments, it would be the ZTBL team, which comprises national team players, against the rest of the country’s women cricketers making up the other teams, which would make the events one-sided.

But during the Women Cricket Triangular T20 Tournament at the Southend Club [July 9-15] in Karachi, we divided the senior team girls into three teams along with the other players. So all had to perform on an equal level,” she explained.

“And following that we announced the probables for the coming international assignments, who then attended the camp,” she added.

The team only received their Ireland visas a few hours before departure on Saturday morning.

“Well, we had applied for Ireland visas on May 20 but they only came through on the Friday evening,” the chairperson shared.

“Even the Bangladesh team, who had their flight booked for Thursday, Aug 16, got their visas on Friday evening with us. So they had to reschedule their departure as well,” she provided.